UFC Fight Night 137 Preview
Heading into UFC Fight Night 137 things have been a little cursed as there have been multiple main events throughout the last few months.
Like always though those changes bring opportunities for other fighters who have the chance to step in for an injured or pulled fighter.
This time both fighters were never supposed to be in the main event when the UFC went back to Brazil.
Thiago Santos was sitting on the sidelines waiting for a fight until Glover Teixeira suffered a shoulder injury that took him out of the main event against Jimi Manuwa.
Santos had the chance to fight in a main event and try to make a big debut in the light heavyweight division.
He would take on a top-five fighter in a new division and announce his arrival in a big way against one of the best on short notice.
Then only a week before the fight Manuwa tore his hamstring taking him out of the fight and leaving the UFC scrambling to find a headliner.
Once again they reached into the middleweight division to find a rising star coming off of an impressive win.
Eryk Anders took the fight on a week’s notice and immediately headed to Brazil looking to continue the momentum he has gained.
Beyond that, he is looking to transfer that momentum to a brand new division taking someone in the same boat.
The chance to do this is not always going to happen as fighters sometimes have to take that risk in order to get their names in the headlines.
For Anders and Santos the goal is clear, neither has been overly impressive in the middleweight division but they have gained some momentum and are trying to keep it going.
For Santos, the momentum comes from a win in August that got him back on track after a four-fight wins streak was snapped earlier in the year.
The win was not against a major name as Kevin Holland was never going to be the fight that got him back on top.
His attempt to move up in weight is an attempt to keep him in mind when it comes to future fights.
When the UFC called him to fill in he was one of those fighters who had just got a win but was still not making a lot of noise.
Taking another fight a month later was going to be his chance to make that noise and potentially add another win to begin another streak.
Anders was a fighter slowly finding his path in the middleweight division until he ran into a UFC legend in Lyoto Machida.
That fight was a turning point as Anders took his first loss in his professional career and it ended his run through the division.
He came back with authority in late August when he landed a massive head kick against Tim Williams.
It wasn’t the biggest name but how he finished the fight certainly peaked some people’s interest.
It was a great way to get back to the win column and now with only a week to prepare he is looking to keep that conversation going.
Moving up in weight will take away those concerns about weight cutting away and let him focus on planning for Santos.
Another win could put him or Santos right back in the conversation about fighters to watch whether that be in the middleweight or light heavyweight division.
It will be an interesting matchup as both have now had to create plans in a week to deal with their opponents.
For Santos, it might be easier as Anders brings a similar skill set to Manuwa with a game based in the stand-up.
Then again Manuwa is a more traditional boxer while Anders tends to through a lot more unique shots as evident by his head kick KO last month.
For Anders it is could to be a challenge to deal with the BJJ of Santos without having a lot of time to train for it.
Santos could decide to stand up with plenty of skill on the feet but on short notice going back to his roots might be his best option.
The card was saved by two middleweights who will move up in weight class to try their skills out in the light heavyweight division.
This fight was never supposed to happen at this moment but it will happen and with it comes a chance for two fighters to add another fight to the win column.
The Sport Addiction 